The Outs is a web series that is better than any other ‘gay TV show’ at the moment (I’m looking at you Modern Family). It’s well written, witty and a little bit indie.
Set in New York City, The Out follows Mitchell (Adam Goldman) and his best friend Oona (Sasha Winters) as they traverse the dating/life/urban jungle that is your early twenties.
Goldman and Winters came up with the idea for The Outs, as well as wrote each of the 7 episodes. Impressive!
One of the best things about The Outs is that it’s relatable. Even though I don’t live in New York, and am not in my twenties anymore (sadly), the characters resonated with me. They’re not just characters, they feel like real people going through stuff we’ve all been through. Cheating boyfriends, loneliness, losing friends, coming to terms with life and moving on.
There are also no offensively stereotypical characters. Mainstream TV shows with gay characters fall into this trap, which I really don’t like. On The Outs, whether the character is gay or straight, they have a depth and complexity that is genuine. By no means are they perfect (far from it), but you can’t help rooting for them. Even the ‘bad ex-boyfriend’ Jack. I found myself really feeling for the guy and ultimately, saw him as a really good guy who had just made some poor choices.
The show was made on a shoestring budget. Money was raised during a Kickstarter campaign. Although you would never guess it by looking at the show. It’s shot brilliantly. The filming really captures the essence not only of the characters, but of New York as well. There’s also some really great and innovative uses of camera angles and viewing tricks (like when text messages come up on Mitch’s phone in the first episode) that are really well done.
The only bad thing about The Outs is that it appears to be over….for now, at least. Hopefully these guys have a plan to bring this amazing show to TV, or even keep it on the web. Whatever they decide, I just hope they keep going with it. Because once you watch it, you won’t want it to be over.
You can view all the episodes here.
They also sell cool merchandise (although no cardigans…yet:-)
